How to Avoid Food Waste in 2026

There it is, at the back of the fridge, in a small container: the leftover from the sauce bolognese two weeks ago. It had slipped behind the milk and the water jar, and I didn't immediately recognize what it was. I throw it in the compost; it's already covered with a white film. A broccoli follows. Once again, I thought it was time to diversify my vegetable consumption and buy a"new" vegetable, only to throw half of it away because I didn't take the time to look for recipes that would actually make me like broccoli.

Do these situations sound familiar to you? Food waste is a problem for many of us. So let's start with some facts.

FWF - Food Waste Facts

These facts are based on the new research report released by Second Harvest, The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste: Update and from the website of the Government of Canada:

• Food is the largest type of waste that Canadians send to landfills annually.

• About 46% of all food produced in Canada is wasted annually. Can you believe that?? We are wasting almost half of the food we produce. I couldn't believe this number.

• And here's the interesting part: 41% of it could be avoided. What does that mean? That's the type that could be redirected to feed people in need. Avoidable food waste also has an estimated value of $58 billion.

• Side note: "Unavoidable food waste includes items that are byproducts, such as animal

  bones and husks that cannot be eaten or the planned waste that occurs when food is cooked and processed." (source)

• Best before dates account for 23% of avoidable food waste from processor to purchase.

• Food waste contributes annually about 25.7 million metric tonnes of CO₂ emissions, equivalent to 253,000 flights from Toronto to Vancouver.

• When disposed of in landfills, food and other organic waste generate significant amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas 25-80 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

• Reducing methane emissions is a top recommendation made by climate scientists to help mitigate climate change. (source)

  
  

At the same time the costs for groceries are increasing and many people struggle with their food budgeting. According to the Canada's Food Price Report 2025 "overall food prices will increase by 3% to 5%. The average family of four is expected to spend $16,833.67 on food in 2025, an increase of up to $801.56 from last year." So how can we waste less food and save money?

How Do We Tackle Food Waste?

So this year, I've decided once again to pay more attention to how we buy and use food in order to minimize food waste. I created a list of things I'm trying and tips I found online that I think are helpful:

1. Shop your pantry: You will be surprised by what you find in your own pantry. Often, items stored in your pantry can be used for years, so you might find beans, chickpeas, tea, or spices that you can use without any issues.

2. Make a grocery list: I've been doing this for years, and it's especially effective when I write down the meals I would like to cook with the groceries we buy. This way, we buy strategically for specific dinners, and we won't have to think about it during the week.

3. Clean out your fridge regularly: That's how we avoid having the container of bolognese sauce hidden at the back of the fridge. :) I try to look through our fridge every week to see what was slipped to the back, what small leftovers we still have, and what needs to be thrown away. I don't do this often enough yet.

4. Write the purchase date on the product: This is something new I'm trying out. We recently bought two packs of cream cheese (poor planning, see #2). But since they have a fairly long shelf life, we started using one and wrote the purchase date on the other. Otherwise, I will find the cream cheese in the fridge in two weeks, won't know how old it is, and might throw it away. #3 might be helpful here as well.

5. Learn how to store food properly: This is a game changer in reducing food waste, especially when it comes to fruits and vegetables. Personally, I still have a lot to learn here, and reading through the Canada's Food Guide gave me some eye-opening insights. And this article on how to blanche vegetables before freezing them. If you hear me say that I've blanched vegetables anytime soon, please recognize that I've taken a step forward in adulthood. :)

6. Buy imperfect food: Why? Because they are usually thrown away. However, many supermarkets now have a special section with "single vegetables" or "imperfect food" at discounted prices. You can also look for offers such as Odd Bunch (or something similar in your city) that saves ugly food from being thrown away.

7. Use leftovers creatively: Here's an AI trick: Sometimes I enter a selection of ingredients we have at home into ChatGPT and ask for recipe ideas. I've already got some delicious suggestions this way.

8. Share with neighbours and friends: If you have food that you know you won't use in time, share it with a friend or neighbour before it expires or goes bad. Or bring it to the office.

9. Compost: Please don't throw your food waste in the trash; compost it instead. Why? Because composting is an important, environmentally friendly practice that turns organic waste into nutrient-rich soil and reduces methane emissions from landfills.

10. Bonus tip, I saw in the Canada Food Guide: Store vegetable scraps and waste in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze them until you have enough to make vegetable broth.

So this is what I will focus on over the coming weeks and months, and I will report back on how things are going during the course of the year.

None of these ideas is revolutionary. But they’re reminders that sustainability isn’t only about breakthrough technologies or large infrastructure projects, it’s also about how we design our everyday systems.

As someone working in climate innovation, I’m often thinking about scale. And scale starts with habits.

If you have further ideas on how to reduce food waste, please feel free to share them with me.

Nina